Life, the Universe, & Running

Beer Run!

After an extreme endurance challenge, I had no intentions of over-exerting myself the following weekend. In effect, I’m in tapering mode again as I prepare for the Northface 50K in Kansas City on November 17th. Luckily, as I have mentioned many times before, I have some amazing friends who like to mix things up during our regular group runs. Thus, it seemed like perfect timing when a good friend announced his plans for a beer run during our regular Saturday morning group run. The result was another in a series of great running memories!

A great mid-run refueling stop!

The idea was pretty simple. Various folks volunteered to host beer/water stops and a route was crafted accordingly. I volunteered our house as a beer stop, as did five other friends. In all, we were able to cobble together a great 9-mile route. We met @ 7:30AM (its 5 O’Clock somewhere, right?) and cracked open a few beers before we headed out. We made two more stops, and then ended up at our house. I was trying my best to ration my consumption, as well as make sure I drink some water, but it was still a strange feeling to be drinking that early in the morning! I may work in a university setting, but it’s still been a decade since my undergraduate days 🙂

As luck would have it, Iowa State was playing a home football game with an 11AM kickoff. Several folks in our group are avid tailgaters, so we were able to stop by for a few more drinks, as well as some great tailgating food. We poured our shots, and toasted to good friends and great runs!

To al the miles we’ve yet to run!

Now, I can’t say that I plan on incorporating alcohol into my training plan, but it was certainly a fun experience! Running can become monotonous if you aren’t changing your routes, times, races, and training. However, I am quite confident that with great friends, running will never be boring! Next stop- organizing our own official beer mile 🙂